Days after he revealed that he intends to contest the next General Election (GE), 2011 Presidential Election Candidate Tan Kin Lian has said that he will only be contesting the GE if other like-minded people join him to achieve a change in Government.

Mr Tan added that he will be measuring the commitment of these like-minded folks through a series of “tests” he will put out in the coming days.

He warned: “If I do not see enough of them coming forward, I will change my mind – and not stand for election. I do not owe any duty to anyone to carry out my “promise” to stand for election.”

Mr Tan wrote on Facebook this afternoon (10 Apr):

“For people who like to see me stand in the general election, I have this message for you. I intend to stand in the general election because I see that the current policies of the government are bad for the people and, if they continue, conditions will get worse.

“So, I will do my best and do my part to help like minded people to achieve a change in the government. But I need to know who are the like minded people and if they form a large majority.

“If I do not see enough of them coming forward, I will change my mind – and not stand for election. I do not owe any duty to anyone to carry out my “promise” to stand for election.

“I will be putting forward other “tests” to measure this commitment of the like minded people. I am not changing the goal post. I want, after scoring one goal, to go for the next goal.”

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Mr Tan explained that he wants to measure the commitment of his supporters because he and his family face the risk of being targeted and discriminated against if he puts himself out there again but does not have significant support.

Indicating that putting one’s self out there and speaking out in an effort to change the Government is a “sacrifice” that such people undertake, Mr Tan said that he needs to know if he can rely on the people’s support before he makes this sacrifice:

“Why do I want to measure the commitment of the supporters? This is my reason.

“Many people dare not come forward to speak against the government because they are afraid of being targeted. They are also worried that their family members may be targeted or discriminated in the workplace.

“I want to tell these people – I also have family members, who might face the same risk.

“So, I want these people to understand the sacrifice that the people willing to speak out (not just me, but others) have to make. We need to know how many people are willing to give their support, and if we can rely on their support.”

Sharing that he ignores the trolls who try to disrupt his goal, Mr Tan appealed for his real supporters to show their commitment and support for him:

“They are some people who are here to cause confusion and disrupt the goal. I ignore them. I delete their comments. I ban some of them.

“But for the others, I like you to show your commitment. I hope you know by now, what you have to do.”

Mr Tan’s latest post comes days after he threw his hat into the ring to contest the next GE. On March 31, Tan Kin Lian wrote on Facebook, “If you want me to contest in the general election, give a Like and Share. Let us make it to 1,000 Likes.”

His post garnered over 1,000 likes in just over a week, which prompted Mr Tan Kin Lian to respond saying, “HURRAH. Finally, after 9 days, I have reach (sic) the target of 1,000 Likes. Yes, I intend to contest the next general election. I shall be putting up some videos to give my views. Thank you for your support.”

It is unclear which vehicle Mr Tan Kin Lian will use for contesting the next General Election, but he has been seen in the delegation of People’s Power Party led by Mr Goh Meng Seng.

The 71-year-old Mr Tan Kin Lian is a businessman, social activist, and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NTUC Income. Tan was close to Ong Teng Cheong, the fifth President of Singapore and was involved in several causes promoted by Mr Ong.

During the last two years of Ong Teng Cheong’s term, Tan chaired the President’s Charity event to raise funds and to promote the Singapore Dress.

When Ong’s wife died, shortly after the second charity dinner, Tan organised 1,000 messages of condolences from Singaporeans, submitted through the Internet, and presented the book to Ong.

Mr Tan was also a member of Singapore’s governing political party, the People’s Action Party (PAP), for 30 years but left in 2008 because of inactivity and disagreement with the party’s value system. He was previously the party’s branch secretary at Marine Parade for three years and was chosen in 1977 by Mr Goh Chok Tong.

In the 2011 Presidential Election, Mr Tan Kin Lian got the lowest votes of all the candidates, with only 4.9% of the votes. For failing to achieve at least 12.5% of the votes, Tan also lost his S$48,000 deposit.